


Icy Masks Hide Lonely Hearts

by Keromenson



Category: RWBY
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, F/F, Forgiveness, Unrequited Love, past trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-24 13:19:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14955425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keromenson/pseuds/Keromenson
Summary: What would you do to see the person you love achieve their dreams?  What would you be willing to sacrifice? To help them become the hero, would you make yourself the villian?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First story ever posting. Had this written for a while, but decided to wait until a WhiteRose week event came around before posting. Not realizing it took a week to sign up for this site, I missed WhiteRose week, but that isn't really important. Hope you enjoy.

Ruby Rose HATED Weiss Schnee. Hated her with a passion. The cold hearted bitch that constantly nitpicked everything she did. Always berated her if she wanted to go out before her assignments were perfect. At first Ruby tried to impress her partner. She worked harder and harder so Weiss would finally shut up and let her go have some fun, but it was never enough. Then it turned into a challenge to beat her. It was still never enough and she resented Weiss so much. Even Blake and Yang tried to get her to let up, but she would never listen. Just kept pushing Ruby until she felt like she was about to snap. Four years at Beacon was supposed to be some of the greatest years of her life, and instead it was four years of hell.

  
Graduation ended up being the best day of those four years. She was finally free and didn't have to spend anymore time with her bitch of a partner. She graduated 2nd best in her class, only surpassed by Pyrha Nikos. Weiss was ranked 3rd, and it felt great to finally beat her. When she got her hunters license she didn't even dignify Weiss by rubbing it in her face. She was better than that. She was just happy to finally get away.

  
Ruby had been in the field for 5 years now. She had made quite the name for herself. Even did a few interviews for some hunter magazines. Ruby didn't pay attention to whatever happened to Weiss after graduation. Yang mentioned once that Weiss had been out in the field for a year before going back home to take over the family company. Blake mentioned that Faunus were being treated as equals within the company, so maybe Weiss finally managed to do something nice for once. That was pretty much the extent of what she knew of her old partner. None of team RWBY really cared much for the heiress.

  
That was why it was such a surprise when Ruby received a message from Blake while she was on a mission. Apparently, Weiss was in the hospital, and Team RWBY's presence was requested. Once she got there, she greeted her sister Yang, then went and hugged Blake, who she had not seen for the last year. After that, Blake spoke to a doctor and got Ruby a visitors pass. That was how she found herself standing next to Blake in a medical observation room, staring through the glass at the unconscious form of the woman she hadn't seen in 5 years.

  
Blake and Ruby stood there silently watching the motionless form for about 5 minutes. Eventually Ruby broke the silence. "Blake, what are we doing here?"

  
Blake had a thoughtful look on her face. "Did you know she left half of everything she owned to you, me, and Yang in her will?

  
Ruby looks at Blake. "How do you know that?"

Blake grins. "Turns out Ice queen actually named me executor of her estate." The smile left Blake's face and she looked somber. "Which is how I also know that she left instructions that if she doesn't wake up 30 days after her surgery, they are to pull her off life support and sell off everything. Then divide the money up. 20% of that is getting split evenly between me and Yang. 25% is going all to you. Even giving 5% to one of her butlers. The other 50% is getting split between a few Faunus rights groups and charities for families of deceased hunters. She isn't even having a funeral. She asked to be cremated and that the 3 of us spread her ashes over the Emerald Forest from the cliffs where we started initiation."

Ruby sniffed, looking back at Weiss. "Maybe she finally realized how bad she was and was trying to make up for it."

Blake looks away from the window of Weiss' room and at Ruby. "Once, back at our first year at Beacon, Yang yelled at Weiss for how she treated you, and I remember Weiss yelling back at her that she refused to 'baby' you like Yang did, because she saw a great future for you."

Ruby kept watching Weiss through the window "What's your point Blake?"

Blake sighs "When I went to Schnee manor, I found something interesting in her office that I think you should see."

Ruby turns to look at her. "What is it?"

Blake shakes her head and looks back through the window. "You have to see it for yourself, just...I think she cared. She just didn't know any other way to show it."

Ruby scoffed "Not constantly being a bitch to me would have been a good way."

Blake sighed again. "After seeing what her family was like, I honestly don't think she knew any other way to act. Go on. One of her butlers is expecting you. His name is Klein."

Ruby walked to the door but stopped and turned around. "Hey, Blake...um, how...?

"24 hours until the deadline. That is why we were contacted. Other than Klein, we are the only ones in her will." Blake answered Ruby's unasked question.

Ruby glanced at Weiss through the window. "oh..." was all she could manage as she left the observation room and made her way to Weiss' home.

Ruby arrived at Schnee manor where she was greeting by a cheery balding man with a big bushy mustache. "Ah, Miss Rose. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Ruby looked confused "uh. Klein, right? You were expecting me?"

The man smiled brightly at her. "Yes, Miss Belladonna said you would be stopping by. I have been instructed to take you to Miss Schnee's office. Would you like anything? Tea? Coffee?"

Ruby followed the butler through the large house. _'No wonder I could never impress the bitch, if this is where she lives.'_ "oh. Coffee please. Cream and 5 sugars. Um, no offense but, how do you know me?"

"Oh, Miss Schnee spoke of you and your team often."

Ruby blinked "She did?"

"Indeed. She told me her time at Beacon was some of the best years of her life."

Ruby was even more confused than before. How could Weiss have been happy there? She was always pissed off while at Beacon, mostly at Ruby herself. Constantly pointing out the tiniest of mistakes in anything Ruby did. If Ruby wasn't so intent on proving the bitch wrong, she would have just told her to go screw herself. She was shaken from her thoughts when Klein stopped in front of a door and turned to her.

"Miss Belladonna asked me to give this to you. She said you should watch it before going in."

Ruby looked down and took the scroll he had held out to her. "What is on it?"

Klein pointed up to a corner in the hall and Ruby looked up to see a security camera. "Security video of the interior of her office from the day she was admitted to the hospital."

Ruby looked at the scroll, then the door, then back to Klein. "What does Blake expect me to find in there?"

Klein's smile fell and he had a somber look on his face. "If I had to guess, Miss Rose? I would say 'closure'." Klein turned and walked back the way they came. "I will return with your drink momentarily." With that, he was gone while Ruby leaned up against the door and opened the scroll, the video Blake apparently wanted her to see already loaded and ready to watch. After a moments hesitation, she pressed play.

_The video opened up to a black and white image of the room she was outside of. There was a large, expensive looking desk at one end of the room stacked with papers. Bookshelves lined the walls. In the only placed not covered in bookcases there was a small desk that Weiss was sitting at writing on something. Above the desk there were papers pinned to a cork board, but the angle wasn't good enough to see what was on them._

The video didn't really show anything for about a minute, just the bane of Ruby's existence sitting there writing. As Ruby watched something finally changed, and it made her breath catch.

_As Weiss sat there writing, her shoulders shook a couple times, then her free hand went up and rubbed at her eyes. Her hand came away and she looked up at the wall, then went and wrote a bit more. She suddenly went into a coughing fit for a good 10 seconds. When it finally stopped, she pulled her hand away from her mouth and appeared to be staring at it. It was shaking and slowly moving toward her chest where she grabbed something that was hanging around her neck. Moments later she started shaking all over and fell from her chair to the floor, convulsing on the ground as people burst into the room and picked her up, two of them getting her stable until the convulsions stopped, then carrying her while a third appeared to be talking into a scroll. They left the room with Weiss in tow and a few seconds after that, the video ended._

_'She had a seizure.'_ Ruby had seen enough medical emergencies while in the field to recognize what that was. Closing the scroll and putting it in her pocket, She took a deep breath and turned back to the door.

_'Time to see what Blake found I guess.'_   With that thought, she opened the door and went inside.

When Ruby got inside, she saw much of the same thing that she saw in the video, with one exception. She was able to see what was on that cork board. As Ruby stared at the wall, her jaw hung open and she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The entire board was covered in news article and stories..about Ruby. Every interview, minor news clip, anything public involving her huntress career was there on that board. Weiss had been following her career ever since graduation. In fact, there was a picture of her from graduation as she got her hunters license. Looking at everything, she was pretty sure the only one not covered was the one she was on when she got the call from Blake about Weiss.

  
Sitting down in the chair that Weiss had been sitting in when she had her seizure, Ruby looked down at the note she had been writing. It was in Weiss' perfect, flowing cursive handwriting, and it started with two words. 'Dear Ruby,'


	2. Chapter 2

_Dear Ruby,_   
_If you are reading this, and haven't just thrown it away, then you have likely just left the reading of my will. I hope the money you receive from the sale of my possessions gives you a comfortable nest egg for retirement. Knowing you, you will either never retire, or just donate it all to charity. You're a good person like that. For once, I'm not sure how to start saying what I want to say, so I'm just going to get right to it. I'm so, SO proud of the woman you have become. I know I was a bitch to you in school. I know I pushed you and pushed you and never let up. I know I probably made your life hell. The sad part is that I really didn't want to hurt you, but I know I did. I saw SO much potential in you to be the great huntress you wanted to become, but you didn't seem to take things seriously, so I helped the only way I really knew how. How I was taught. I forced you to strive for the perfection that I knew you could achieve if you just tried._

  
_I won't apologize for pushing you to be better, I'm not sorry about that. What I am sorry about is that I didn't know of a better way to do it. A nicer way. I know you probably don't believe me, but I really wanted to be better to you. I wanted to be your friend. I wanted you to like me, but if I did that, I couldn't help you the only way I knew how. So, I played the slave driver, the perfectionist, the cold hearted bitch that never showed emotion who would never let you slack off. The 'Ice Queen'. I spent so many nights crying in the bathroom knowing you hated me for how I treated you. I couldn't let you see me like that. You would have just tried to help me, and that isn't what you needed. You needed to concentrate on yourself. I think Blake might have heard me once, but she never mentioned it._

  
_I think Blake just tolerated me anyway. I know for a fact Yang would like nothing more than to beat me to a bloody pulp for how I treated you. I'm glad you have her and Blake and all of team JNPR to watch your back out there. You had good friends to help you out when you had a bad day. You didn't need me for that, no matter how much I wanted to try and comfort you. I just....couldn't. I had to be the villian that you fought against, that you had to prove you were better than. That evil bitch that you could overcome and prove you belonged there._

  
_And you did. You surpassed me. You won, and I couldn't be more proud of you. The day we graduated, I wish you could have seen my face when you received your license. It was the first time I let myself smile where you could see it, and I wished so hard that you would look at me and see how proud I was of you, to see me smile at what you accomplished. I thought that, just maybe, then you would understand why I did it. That I did it for you. I used to dream that you would look at me, and understand, and forgive me. Maybe even thank me, but that was all it was, a dream. I know you hate me, and I don't blame you. I won't be around to ever find out, but maybe after reading this, one day you'll find it in that wonderful, selfless heart of yours to forgive me._

  
_I'm sick. Really sick. Dust lung. It's almost ironic. I finally get the Schnee Dust Company back to the good name my grandfather started it with, and here I'm dying from the same thing he died from. I'm going in for surgery in a couple days. The doctors give me a 50/50 chance of surviving the procedure. If it is a success, they think I can make a full recovery. If you are reading this, then I guess the odds just weren't in my favor. If I make it, I might just sell everything off anyway and come find you and tell you all of this in person, but if not, then at least I can tell you here. I love you Ruby Rose. I've loved you every since that day I brought you coffee during our first year. Do you remember that day? We got into a fight, but when I came back that night, you were working so hard you fell asleep studying trying to prove you were worthy of being our leader. I could see that you could do it, and I wanted to be there to make sure you succeeded. I brought you a coffee (cream and five sugars, I still remember) and I told you I'd be the best teammate you ever had. I'm sure you interpited that differently than I did, but I like to think I succeeded. I did what I knew how to do to make sure you succeeded, like a good teammate should._   
_My only regret is that I was too much of a coward to come find you after graduation and tell you all of this in person and beg your forgiveness. Maybe try and start over and be friends. I'm not delusional enough to think that we could ever be more than that after everything I put you through. Instead, I sit here in my big, empty mansion or at my company office and watch you from afar. Saving whatever I can find about you like some creepy stalker with hero worship. Huh, I suppose hero worship fits. Looking up as I write this, my wall does look like a little shrine to you._

Some of the words were smudged, but still legible. It looked like tears had fallen on the page.

_So, since I will not get a chance to ever tell you this in person, goodbye Ruby Rose. I have truly missed you. Until we meet again on the other side, just keep doing what you are doing. Keep being that wonderful person that goes out helping those that can't help themselves. Keep being that wonderful woman that I fell in love with, that I sacrificed my own chance at happiness for to make sure she achieved her dream. You were absolutely worth it, and I don't regret that one bit. I'm so proud of you and I love you so much. Please forgive m-_

  
At this point in the letter there were random lines and scribbles and one long line dragging down off the paper and across the table. This must be where Weiss had her seizure and collapsed.

Ruby sat the paper back on the desk and put her head in her hands, trying to make sense of everything she just read. Blake was right. Weiss was trying to help, but apparently didn't know a good way to do it. She made Ruby's life hell, but was it actually worth it? Was she a better huntress because of everything Weiss put her through? Thinking back over her years at Beacon, at how while her friends went out, Weiss made her study and practice. How she trained constantly to get better, to finally make Weiss ease up and let her go have some fun. She realized that at some point, it wasn't so much Weiss forcing her to keep going. It just became her routine to do so to be better than Weiss. To prove her worth. And Weiss was right there, constantly improving herself so that she could keep pushing Ruby to be better. Kept giving her more and more of a challenge to overcome.

  
It wasn't until their combat final in their final year that she finally took Weiss down in a match. It had taken her 4 years, but she had finally done it. Seeing Weiss on her knees after Ruby knocked her down and won the match was one of the most satisfying feelings she had up to that point. She was so happy to finally take the bitch down, she didn't even bother to look at her as she left the arena. Weiss couldn't berate her anymore. She had finally taken her down, and after graduation she'd never have to see her again. Weiss went back to her seat and didn't say a word or even look at Ruby. She didn't complain or make excuses for why she lost. She just...accepted it? Was she not upset? Was she..proud of Ruby that day? The letter would imply that she was.

Ruby wasn't sure how long she sat there going over every interaction she could remember having with Weiss over the 4 years at Beacon, but eventually she heard the door open. She turned around in the seat to see Klein walking over to her with a tray with a steaming mug sitting on it. "My apologies for taking so long. There was an issue with one of the cleaners that required my attention. Is there anything I can assist with?"

Ruby took the mug from the butler and thanked him, but then a thought came to mind and she looked up before he could leave. "Klein...did Weiss...have any friends?"

The butler furrowed his eyebrows. "Miss Schnee had a...difficult childhood. Her parents reguarly fought with one another and her sister was in the military and did not get to visit often. As heiress, she had a lot of responsibilities and expectations on her shoulders. I'm sad to say she did not have anyone other than myself that should could confide in. She would ocassionaly write to her sister and even me once in a while while attending school. She always spoke highly of her team leader and how far she was coming along. She had nothing but kind words about her team when she spoke. It was nearly all she would talk about. I had always assumed you 4 were all friends from how highly she spoke of you all."

Ruby looked down at the floor. "I had no idea she thought so highly of us. I'm finding out that things were not exactly how I thought they were."

Klein hummed in acknowledgment "Miss Rose. It is quite late. Would you like to spend the night here? I can arrange a room for you to stay in."

Ruby thought about that for a moment. She had never stayed in a fancy mansion before, not to mention she had a lot to think about. After the long flight to Atlas and the time in the hospital talking to Blake and Yang, sleeping in a chair at the hospital didn't seem very appealing. Picking up and folding the letter, she stood up and placed it in her pocket. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. Thank you."

Klein nodded and led her down the hall. "I can place you in Miss Schnee's room for the night. She will not mind, and none of the guest rooms are prepared for visitors right now. Miss Schnee...does not see many people in her home."

When Ruby entered the bedroom she looked around. It was shades of white, grey, and blue like the rest of the mansion. Weiss' sword was hanging on a stand in the corner. On the vanity mirror, there were some pictures. In each corner of the mirror a small photo was shoved under the frame to hold it in place. They were Team RWBY's team school photos. The only other color in the room was stark contrast to the rest of the room. A vase of red roses were on a table by the bed, and on the bed was a large, red body pillow.

Klein spoke up "After returning home, Miss Schnee insisted that her room always have red roses present. She said it reminded her of school."

Ruby decided to not ask anymore questions. She had enough revelations concerning her old partner to think about. It was becoming more and more obvious that Weiss was not the person Ruby thought she was, or at least Weiss saw herself as different from how she actually was. It was too much to try and wrap her head around right now. She decided to sleep on it and that she could proccess better with a well rested mind.

After telling Klein that she was going to bed for the night, she sent Blake a message letting her know where she was and to inform her if Weiss' condition changed. Ruby's dreams that night consisted of all of the major interactions she had with Weiss during their time at Beacon, now filtered through the knowledge of what Weiss had been attempting. The bed was amazingly comfortable, and Ruby found herself waking up in the morning cuddling the red body pillow. She wondered idley if Weiss did the same thing. After reading the letter, hearing Klein talk about how she never had guests, and seeing the flowers and this pillow on her bed, Ruby had a pretty good idea what was going through Weiss' head over the years. She almost pitied her at this point.

When Ruby arrived at the hospital the following morning, she found Blake still in the observation room, curled up in a chair sleeping. Ruby kneeled down and gave her shoulder a small shake. Amber eyes opened and blinked a few times. "Hey."

"Hey."

"How was your night?"

Ruby frowned "Confusing..."

Blake gave her a questioning look.

Ruby tipped her head toward Weiss' room. "Are we allowed inside?"

"Yeah, if you want to. She is stable."

Ruby nodded and stood up and reached into her pocket, pulling out the folded letter and the scroll Blake left for her. She looked at them for a few moments and then handed them to her. "I need to have a few words with her, even if she can't hear me."

As Ruby moved into Weiss' room and pulled a chair up to her bed, Blake read the letter, her eyes narrowing in concentration, then widening in surprise. "oh, my..."

Yang came in about 30 minutes later, bringing food from the cafeteria. She saw Blake leaning against the wall facing away from the window. "Hey, I brought some breakfast. Didn't expect you to be up so early."

At this point Yang noticed Ruby sitting next to Weiss' bed, holding her hand and talking to her comatose form. Setting the tray down on a table, she walked over to Blake. "What is Ruby doing in Ice Queen's room?"

Blake sighed and turned, looking back into the room at her team leader and the Ice Queen. She looked down at the letter in her hand and then back up at the window, holding the letter out to Yang. "I think she is making peace with her."

Yang furrowed her brows at Blake while taking the letter and looking down to read it. "Why would Ruby want to make peace with the bitch?" As she read the letter her expression changed a few times between anger and disbelief, softening slightly as she got near the end, shaking her head mumbling. "That white haired idiot..."

When Ruby got into Weiss' room, she picked up a chair and set it down next to the bed, sitting down and crossed her arms over her chest, just watching Weiss lay there breathing for a few minutes, listening to the heart monitor beep. After ordering her thoughts best she could she sat up. "Hey, Ice Queen. It's me, Ruby. Blake and Yang are here too. They are in the other room. It's...been a long time, huh? What's it been, 5 years since we last saw each other?" Ruby chuckled without humor. "Well, I guess it's been 5 years since I saw you. Apparently you've been watching me for awhile."

  
She sighed "I visited your mansion yesterday. Blake said I needed to see a few things there. Met Klein. Nice guy. I...saw the wall in your office. Found the letter you were writing me too."

Ruby sat there in silence for a few more minutes, and then leaned forward and took Weiss' hand in her own, her voice choked slightly. "I...hated you. I hated you SO much back at school. No matter how hard I tried, I could never impress you. I was never good enough. I was so happy when I finally beat you. Then we graduated and I thought I'd never have to see you again."

  
Ruby squeezed Weiss' hand and took a breath. "But, I understand now. I see what you were trying to do. And, in a way, you were right. It was absolute hell, but I'm a better huntress for what you put me through. If I had gone out with the others I would have had fun and probably have been happier in the short term...but, I wouldn't have achieved my dream. I would have been a decent huntress, and I may even have been content with that, but I wouldn't have been as good as I am now."

Ruby brushed Weiss' bangs to the side, looking at her gaunt face, her scar even more noticeble because of it. Nearly a month without moving had not been kind to her. "Look, Ice...Look, Weiss. I don't know if you can hear me, or if you even know I'm here, but if you can hear me, I want you to know I forgive you. Your heart was in the right place. I forgive you Weiss, and... I don't know if we can ever be more, but I would like to try and start over. Wipe the slate clean, and try again. Try and be friends."

Ruby gently shook the hand she was holding. "Come on Weiss, I'm willing to give you a chance, so wake up for me." Ruby smiled sadly. "Don't make me go get my whistle."

She chuckled sadly and her eyes teared up. "So, what do you say, partner? Want to get your butt out of bed and give this a shot? We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys..."

Ruby looked up at the clock on the wall. The room was quiet except for the sound of two people breathing, the steady beep of the heart monitor, and the ticking clock. One small, frail hand held between two rough, battle worn hands. It was 8 hours until the deadline. The clock kept ticking...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I purposefully left the ending unresolved because it just seemed right. It let's the reader decide what happened next. That being said, I did write two seperate endings for this story that I will post if this story is well recieved.
> 
> I will also start posting another fic I've been working on for awhile, as the first 15 chapters or so have already been written and should be ready for posting soon.


	3. Epilogue 1:  A 2nd Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This would be the 'Weiss lives' ending. It isn't a emotionally charged as the other ending, but I thought it was ok.

Ruby quickly looked down at the hand she held. It might have been her imagination, but she thought for just a second, that frail hand twitched, but there was nothing more. Ruby looked back up at the clock and was startled by a rough, sandpapery voice muffled by an oxygen mask. "We...were...going...shopping...for...school...supplies...first. Ruby's head shot down to look at Weiss' face. Weiss hadn't moved, but one side of her mouth had risen just the smallest bit, making a tiny grin. Ruby chuckled for a moment, building up to full blown laughter. This caught the attention of Blake and Yang, who came into the room looking worried. Yang was first to speak. "Ruby? What is going on?"

"Weiss actually said something funny."

Yang and Blake turned to stare at Weiss' face. Her eyes struggled to open, lids fluttering half open for a moment before closing again, her mouth shifting to a frown. Her gravely voice spoke once more. "Water....please." Yang looked at her. "Wow, Ice Queen saying please. No butler to do it for you?" Weiss' face twisted into a look of disgust at Yang's words, but by then Ruby was already back with a glass of water and a straw, sliding it under her mask so she could drink. After wetting her throat, she weakly gripped Ruby's hand with that same tiny smile. "You got faster..."

Ruby chuckled at that. "Yeah, I did." She looked up at Blake and her sister. "Could you two give us a few more minutes? Yang leaned down and whispered into Weiss' ear. "You be nice to her, or you won't be leaving this hospital, got it?" Weiss' eye twitched from how close Yang was, but she spoke clearly. "I promise." Yang nodded and left with Blake. Weiss finally managed to open her eyes and look at Ruby, small tears leaking down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

Ruby gave her hand a small squeeze. "I know."

Weiss smiled again. "I heard you talking to me. I missed your voice."

Ruby squeezed her hand once more, then let go and sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Weiss, I'm willing to give you a chance, but it is going to take time for me to get over the things that happened back at Beacon."

Weiss nodded, tears still falling. "I know. Thank you for giving me another chance."

"Third times the charm right?" Ruby smirked, then sat up and after clearing her throat, held out her hand. "Hello Weiss. I'm Ruby. Want to hang out?"

Weiss looked down at Ruby's outstretched hand. She struggled to lift her own, but she knew Ruby was giving her a second chance, and she was determined to not let this chance pass her by. When she finally managed to lift her hand and grasp Ruby's, she looked up into her silver eyes with a smile. 

"Hello Ruby. I would love to."

**6 months later**  
A familiar red cloaked figure walked up to the cliff. The stone marker stood out against the grass. It read Summer Rose: 'Thus Kindly I Scatter'

Ruby pulled her hood off and looked down at the marker.

"Hey mom. I know it's been awhile since my last visit. Things have been....complicated lately."

Ruby sighed. "Oh, where do I even start? Well, you remember how I always used to complain about my partner back at Beacon, right? Turns out she kinda...had a thing for me. I know, kinda hard to tell, huh? Turns out she wanted me to achieve my dream of being a great huntress, and so she took it upon herself to train me mercilessly so that I got there. Apparently, it was how she was trained, so she didn't really know any other way to do it. She made my life hell, but I already told you that part. The thing is, once I really got around to thinking about it, I was forced to admit that it worked. All that training really paid off."

Ruby looked up at the sky and gathered her thoughts again.

"Now to the complicated part that I mentioned. Weiss got really sick and ended up in the hospital. She left most of her money to our team in her will if she didn't survive. Well, she ended up surviving, but went ahead and sold off her family's company anyway. Said she was trying to start over. Apologized for how she treated me. Confessed the whole 'being in love with me' thing too. Really caught me off guard. Well, I forgave her and said we could try and start over as friends. She is really trying. It's like a whole different person that just looks the same. Well, almost the same."

She looked back down at the grave.

"Weiss spent nearly a month in a coma. She needed lots of physical therapy. Could barely walk. She needed help and..well, you know what I always said about wanting to help people. She never asked for the help, but I could tell she wanted it."

Ruby took a deep breath and let it out.

"I'm...living with Weiss right now. She rented an apartment in Vale. Nothing fancy. I could easily afford it on my own. It is so much different than the mansion she lived in. So, we are roommates right now. Seperate rooms, of course. It's almost like our roles have reversed. She needed to constantly be pushed to keep going, even with how determined she was on her own, and she is trying to be so nice to me. It's like she was afraid of scaring me away. It was really bad for the first month or so. I actually had to tell her to lay off a bit. It was...weird to say. She's getting better. Almost to a happy medium now. So yeah, the whole friends thing is working out so far. I know she wants more, but I don't know if that could ever happen. There is still too much reminding me of how she used to treat me, even if it was for a good reason."

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe someday."

She looked up and smiled.

"We are doing our first joint hunt together tomorrow. It is going to be interesting. I've been keeping up with my training while watching over her. She still has a ways to go before she is back to one hundred percent, so we are going on an easy hunt. Volunteer work. Not like either of us need the money right now. I'll come visit once I get back and let you know how it goes."

A calm voice called out her name and she looked over her shoulder to see the familiar white hair of her once again partner. She looked back at the grave as she put her hood up.

"Oh, looks like Weiss is here. I need to get going. It was good to talk to you again mom. I'll see you next time."

As she turned and walked back to the tree line, now gentle blue eyes locked with her own. "Ready to go?" the familiar voice asked.

"Let's go, partner." Ruby said with a smile.

The white haired huntress smiled back and turned to follow her leader and friend out onto their next adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I used the dialogue from their meeting in the auditorium as the basis of them 'making up'. They are symbolically going back to their 2nd meeting and making it 'right'. Hence, the "Third times the charm".


	4. Epilogue 2: A Bittersweet Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss didn't wake up.

Three women stood at the ledge. The launch pads with the Beacon symbol lined up behind them. Sunset was approaching.

Ruby held the urn in her arms, looking out over the Emerald Forest.

"I suppose we should say something huh?" Yang grunted out.

"Yeah..." Blake replied.

Yang looked out over the forest. "Hey Ice Queen. I'm still pissed about how you treated my baby sister, but I guess I get what you were trying to do. I guess I should thank you for the money too. I can take care of me and Ruby's dad better now. He can eventually retire. Maybe I'll even get to eventually open that bar if I retire from hunting. So, yeah. Maybe I'll see you again on the other side and we can have a chat. See ya around, Weiss."

Blake looked over at the urn in Ruby's hands, then she too looked out over the forest. "Weiss, you were right. I did hear you crying in the bathroom that night. I had my suspisions about what you were doing, but I didn't think it was my place to bring it up. I am glad you weren't like your father though. You did good work changing the company for the better. The workers lives are better because of your efforts, and selling the factories and mines to faunus friendly companies was a brillant move. For once in decades, the Schnee name will be remembered fondly by the faunus. If nothing else, you made a lot of people's lives better, and that is something to be proud of. Despite how much we disliked each other, I can say now that it was an honor to know you. Goodbye Weiss."

Ruby remained silent, looking down at the urn in her hands. Blake put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll give you some privacy..." With that Blake turned and walked away. Yang gave her sister a quick hug and then followed, leaving Ruby to her thoughts.

Ruby finally looked up out over the forest. "Hey again Weiss. I'm not sure what else I have to say really that I didn't say to you in the hospital. I guess like Blake and Yang, I should thank you for the gift. You were right. I'll probably donate most of that money to charity..." Ruby chuckled a bit. "Don't worry though. I'll keep enough to live on if I ever stop being able to hunt. I'm sure that is something you'd yell at me about if I didn't. For what it's worth...I think we could have made it work. Despite everything, I think we could have eventually been good friends. You weren't wrong about that."

Ruby sniffed and wiped a tear from her eye. "I had an idea. I know you didn't want a funeral, but I decided to get a little marker to remember you by. I had it put up next to my mom's near my dad's house on Patch. That way you know you won't be forgotten, and I'll even visit when I can. Plus, you and my mom can keep each other company, so you won't have to be lonely anymore. I think you'll like her. Mom always said those we love keep watch over us when they pass on. Maybe those that love us do the same." Ruby smiled. "So, wish me luck. I'll make sure to make you proud. I think maybe we'll see each other again, so I won't say goodbye..."

Ruby looked over her shoulder and motioned for Yang and Blake to join her. She opened the lid of the urn and her teammates each took a handful of ashes. Just as the sun hit the horizon and the sky turned a brilliant green, Yang and Blake threw the ashes and Ruby swung the urn hard, sending the remaining ashes flying high into the air, where a wind suddenly kicked up and carried them out over the forest. As the three turned around and walked back to the school, Ruby looked over her shoulder. "See ya around, Weiss."

**2 months later**

A familiar red cloaked figure walked up to the cliff. Two stone markers looked back at her. She pulled off her hood and looked at the first that read Summer Rose: 'Thus kindly I scatter.' The rose symbol matching her own on display.

"Hey mom. It's been awhile since my last visit. Last mission took longer than I expected. Don't worry. I was fine. All that extra training paid off after all, so you have Weiss to thank for that. Speaking of Weiss, I hope you two are getting along. She's a bit of a bitch at first, but she has a good heart. I think she can finally let that show now that she doesn't have to put on a show for others. She's really lonely. She could use a friend. I miss you mom, but I know we will see each other again someday."

Finally, Ruby turned toward the other marker. It was adorned with the Schnee snowflake and simply read. Weiss Schnee: 'Alone no longer'.

"Hey again Weiss. I hope you are doing well. I'm sure you heard about how all that extra work paid off. So, thank you for helping me be as good as I could be. I hope you and mom are getting along. She will be good for you. Yang and Blake are doing well too. Blake says all those mines and factories you sold off are doing well. Dust is more affordable now that there is more competition. I'm not sure exactly how all of that works, but it's a good thing for the people, so I'm pretty sure it was what you wanted. Yang is still taking on missions. She actually went to Atlas last month with Blake on a job. Oh! She did end up giving most of the money you gave her to dad. He won't have to work anymore, but he is still teaching at Signal. He's kind of a workaholic like you." Ruby grinned at that. 

"Anyway. I'll keep visiting as often as I can. I'll make sure to keep you updated on my life as much as I can, but I feel like you are both out there keeping an eye on me, and that keeps my hopes up when I'm on those long missions. I'll see ya around Weiss. Wish me luck."

Ruby pulled up her hood and started walking away, pausing to look behind her when a breeze swept up. Above the stones Ruby saw a floating white cloak and next to it a familiar white ponytail. A hand reached out from the cloak to rest on the shoulder of the other figure. Ruby watched as the white haired figure's head turned to look over it's shoulder, the scarred and ice blue eyes looking at her. The eyes held a kindness that Ruby had never seen in them before, and the figure smiled and mouthed 'Thank you' before the figures dissolved into rose petals and snowflakes, floating away on the wind. 

Ruby smiled and turned, walking back into the forest on to her next adventure.


End file.
